Gerry Smith  – November 10, 2016 — 3:00 AM MST at Bloomberg

image002Candidate Donald Trump railed against what he calls the “dishonest media.” Now, President Trump will have to decide whether to do something about it.

Trump has already called for tougher libel laws and has threatened to sue newspapers. While it will be hard for President Trump to take direct action that makes it easier to sue or silence news outlets, his appointees will preside over federal agencies including the Federal Communications Commission that oversee media ownership. The Justice Department can block industry mergers, issue subpoenas to news organizations and obtain search warrants.

Perhaps more importantly, Trump is challenging the legitimacy of traditional media at a time of low public standing and great financial stress for the industry, especially newspapers. In September, a Gallup poll found that just 32 percent of Americans have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the media, the lowest level in the poll’s history.

“The biggest influence Trump has is to continue to undermine the core function and credibility of the press,” said Kelly McBride, vice president of academic programs at the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit journalism organization. “Everything the media does is based on the notion that it has relevance. The whole business model falls apart if you’re irrelevant.”

The Society of Professional Journalists, an industry trade group, is girding for a tougher climate for journalists, according to a statement Wednesday from the organization.

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